Deacon John Writes:
In the Gospel for this Sunday Jesus makes it clear that He is God, when He says “To have seen me is to have seen the Father” and then “whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself.” God became man, one of us to show us a real person leading a life of caring for others, a life of healing, forgiving, a life of love.
We are called not just to be followers of Christ but to be Christ to the world around us. It is through our being Christ that He may live and act in the world today and every day. That is easy to say but from where do we get the strength to be Christ to the world? The answer to this surely lies in the Sacraments, especially from receiving the Eucharist. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, Christ is in us, giving us the power to be like Him.
One of the key actions we can take is to Listen. In the Gospel Jesus first listens to the disciples, listens to Thomas, listens to Philip and then comforts them, eases their fears, teaches them. We can do the same: listen to what people are saying to us by giving them our time and undivided attention.
Secondly, we hear time and again how Christ healed the people he came in contact with. We all have the power to heal, not physically perhaps, but through our words, gestures and actions such as showing acts of kindness. It is by doing these things that we show that we care and allow Jesus to live his life through us.
One of the key signs Jesus made was that of forgiveness not just in words but in actions too. We should always be asking ourselves some questions such as: How forgiving am I? Do I pray daily for the grace to forgive others? Do I show this forgiveness through what I do – a phone call, (a handshake or a hug in normal circumstances).
When we come forward to receive Christ’s Body and Blood and confirm that with our “Amen” we should all remember that what we are really saying is “Lord, live in me today so that I may give life, heal and forgive as you did.” Remember there is nothing casual about that “Amen” – it is the most important word we say in that Mass.